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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mug · deal · swing · cue · last · track · foot · wound

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. swing — music
  3. last — to go on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. track — a path
  9. deal — to handle
  10. swing — to play on
  11. wound — an injury
  12. mug — a cup
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. cue — for pool
  15. mug — a face
  16. foot — a measure
  17. track — a song
  18. cue — a signal
  19. mug — to rob
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. last — finally
  23. track — to keep track
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com